PhD in Federico Piersigilli

Federico Piersigilli's PhD thesis, 'Auxiliary Selection in Italo-Romance: A Minimalist Account', is embedded in the Minimalist framework and examines how auxiliary verbs are chosen in Italo-Romance languages, both synchronically and diachronically. The project includes focus on morphosyntactic aspects and phonological interface, exploring the evolution of double auxiliary systems in Romance languages. Drawing on Perlmutter (1978) and more recent works by D'Alessandro, Roberts (2010), Bjorkman (2011), and Amato (2021), Piersigilli's research contributes to the ongoing debate in theoretical linguistics.

Piersigilli's work is rooted in the Linguistica e didattica delle lingue programme at the Dipartimento di lingua, letteratura e arti italiane nel mondo (LILAIM), where he is part of the XXXVIII ciclo (2022-2025). His research interests encompass theoretical syntax, phonology, and psycholinguistics, with a particular focus on Italo-Romance varieties.